Activision, Vivendi pulling out of ESA and E3

It’s unclear exactly why but two of the biggest names in video games, soon to be perhaps the combined biggest name in video games, are pulling out of the Entertainment Software Association.

Activision and Vivendi Games, which are headed toward a mega-marriage, have said they are pulling out of the ESA, the main lobbying and industry association for game publishers. They are also bowing out of the E3 Media and Business summit set for July in Los Angeles though there are rumblings that they may participate off site.

That means the makers of Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft won’t be officially a part of what was once the premiere video game show in the U.S. The speculation is ramping up and there are several ideas as to why Activision and Vivendi, are backing out of the ESA.

Kotaku has a good piece fleshing out the reasons and rumors. Some are pointing to displeasure with new ESA head Mike Gallagher, who some believe isn’t as involved or knowledgeable about the games business. Others, like analyst Michael Pachter, are suggesting that the timing of E3 shows the ESA was out of touch with publishers. Some publishers end their quarter just weeks before E3 was to begin and would be restricted in what they say at the convention, Pachter said.

Wired points out that ESA membership fees are based on the size of the companies so with Activision and Vivendi close to consummating their merger, they would have been one of, if not the, largest paying member of the ESA. Activision and Vivendi will still take a monetary hit because they will have to pay for each title they get rated from the ESRB, instead of getting a member rate.

It raises some questions about the ESA but also about its signature event E3, which got scaled back dramatically last year after some of the big companies complained about the cost of attending and erecting the huge pavilions that marked earlier E3s. This year, E3 is back at the Los Angeles Convention Center after a year in Santa Monica, so it promises to be bigger, though not gigantic. But without Activision and Vivendi, it’ll be interesting to see how much buzz this year’s E3 generates.